Discovery Atlas: China Revealed

In one of the few times in its 5,000-year history, the oldest, most populous nation on earth has opened its doors to the rest of the world.

Coupling insightful storytelling with spectacular and groundbreaking photographic techniques, Discovery Atlas: China Revealed brings to life the fascinating and complex contemporary life of this extraordinary country.

In today's China, the economics of feudalism and communism are out, while capitalism is in... with a Chinese twist. Old walls are being torn down, and a futuristic landscape of glass and steel is shooting up in their place.

Leading the construction frenzy is Vincent Lo, China's answer to Donald Trump. Exploring where tradition meets modernity, viewers will follow the dreams of a 12-year-old Olympic hopeful, then join rice farmers tilling land their ancestors have worked for 18 centuries and monks teaching a 500-year-old discipline.

Discovery Atlas: China Revealed promises to be a visual delight, delving deep into the people and places of the oldest civilization on the planet.

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33 Comments / User Reviews

Miles Lord

WRONG. AFRICA is the oldest civilization in the world. EVERYTHING originated from Black people. The Black man is the original man. Period.

Esop

Roaming tribes and so forth are not recognized as civilization. It's usually defined within certain perimeters such as literacy, organizations, systems,etc. They also mean the oldest living civilization.

Charlie Gay

"NATION" seems to be the word you overlooked bud. But nice try - with tryin to pin an innocent historic truth as a racial slur and all. Better luck next time brotha.

Lee Murphy

What Esop said Nomads dont count haha anyway who cares colour is a perfetic issue are you an American

DM W

Africa is the cradle of humankind.

leonardobdas

i love it when cute documentaries like these are made to aide department of tourism of countries........ just prior to the olympics. it was only a generation ago that their government killed millions in their revolution....

they are doing the same with brazil now... .where the government pays millions to movie companies to show the good parts of the country out there.... just before the olympics... of course, in brazil the government kills people by stealing money from hospitals and nurseries....

May be the original people were green before being black and may be we are becoming purple by intermixing. We are meant to be transparent aren't we?
There is no period yet but a bunch of dots......before and after....
az

alans

Africa is not a civilization, its a continent. There were civilizations in Africa like the Songhai, Zulu, Egyptian, and others. It does not really matter what the oldest civilizations were. Certain things you will never know, unless you can experience them directly, no matter what scientific research you hear or books you read. History is skewed, because it depends on who wrote it. Science too, has its flaws. Scientists collect data, find correlations in it, and conclude causation. Correlation does not mean causation, and people fall for this every single day. The problem is that we can only conclude from evidence that was found, but what about all the evidence that wasn't found? Can you ask the dead? Can you find something that's not there? We people have trouble accepting the fact, that certain things will "NEVER" be known.

Maddox 1414

No, what Esop said is that the history of Africa cannot be seen as a contigious civilization. It is a culmination of many changing tribes, no central authority, no cohesion, no group identity. For most of Africa's history; an inhabitant didn't have a society to rely on, they we're hunter gatherers, with small isolated family tribes.

Guest

In other words, it was a civilization that was different than what we now consider a civilization! lol

It says: the oldest, most populous nation on earth
It should have said: the oldest most populous nation on earth

It is the most populous nation on earth and of the most populous, it's the oldest! Voila!

Now Miles here is my period.
az

delhibiguy

Unwatchable empty propaganda.

Esop

Abhinav: I'm with you on that.

Esop

I am, but I don't think it matters.

His Forever

I loved China. I'm headed that way again most likely either sooner or later. I can't wait to have hotpot again! Truth be told, I really liked dog stew, but it's only available in the winter. How many people can say they've been "mauled" by a panda? I have! Minorly. It got me right on the face when we were taking a picture, and yes, it drew blood!

His Forever

The Garden of Eden was supposedly in Iraq somewhere, so we're all Middle Eastern, actually. Adam and Eve probably looked a lot like my kids -- a nice light brown, like the good sweet earth after a nice rain.

His Forever

You're right about that! Not even subtle are they? Absolutely too many superlatives! Barely made six minutes.

Guest

I loved myself in China. Had a fantastic time. The small town of Dali is gorgious, great hiking. Travelled solo by bus and train from Honk Kong to Kunming and back stopping a lot here and there, watching people and their different ways of living with nature.
Was a bit cold and humid though, caught a terrible flu at the end of the trip, too much bacteria spitting around everywhere. Could hardly sleep in some of the cheap hostels, felt like i was in a hospital with all the throat cleaning i could hear through the walls in the morning.
I too would go back but there is so much to see and so little time.
az

Guest

Maybe all the "original people" had its roots in the ""panspermia theory of life""? Aliens, EH?

tomregit

alans: That is not how science works. Scientists understand the difference between correlation and causation. You do not understand science.

Guest

Achems...sounds like reproductive dots.
az

His Forever

I like the Sichuan Province the best. Hot food; pandas; giant Buddah statue--now the biggest it the world; easy way of life; earthquakes! I found some real treasures there like some Mao era comic books with all the evil but very dead American soldiers and the victorious Communist comrads celebrating. I bought it and still have it in my box in Oregon along with some money, buttons, and other Mao stuff. The only thing I couldn't buy was a medal awarded to a war vet as the vender said it would be exceedingly evil to sell a "man's blood" to an American whom was the enemy at the time.

I walked the Great Wall for miles in the forbidden zone. It was so cool! Saw a person in a red jacket coming and we hid behind some rubble thinking it was a "patrol" or something, only to realize it was one of our teaching group. We jumped out and said, "Chris! You're not supposed to be here!" He said, "You too!" But then I said, "Yeah, but we're the leaders and we're breaking the rules in a group. You're alone!" Hypocracy and a double standard are always more fun in groups! ;-)

Never made it Xian or Dali, or Kunming, but I saw Tibet. 5,000 Buddahs in the Patola Palace (literaly), but not one single toilet (literaly)! You truly get tired of each room being full of Budahs statues, when you have to go so badly you contemplate using a plastic bag. Tourists should be warned about that. We figured the locals were all wearing diapers (seriously). It's funny now, but it was torture for us then! :-) Think altitude sickness without a toilet---Nice, eah? But, I didn't get really sick until that evening. I recooperated the day we we were headed for the airport. If you get to Tibet, give yourself two weeks so you can enjoy it after you recover if you're prone to altitude sickeness.

Oh, last story: I was traveling on the overnight train during Chinese New Year 2000. I'm very capable in China as a traveler alone. Lots of fun. I was awakened at midnight by armed solders who spoke now English and wanted me to follow them. Terrified, I was escorted to a different part of the train. I was trembling wondering what was happening--was I being arrested? Kidnapped? Robbed? EXECUTED?!? Nope. We had just hit the Sichuan highlands and it was newyear's day, so they stopped the train at midnight and had a snowball fight in a dinning car! They wanted to have a snowball fight with the American. Whew! Gotta love China. Never met a soldier I didn't like there. I even had a winter soldier's jacket (the kind that they use in combat that goes to their ankles) that I wore often. They were always kind to me.

Other stories --- not so good, but those are the fun ones.

Wow! Now I do want to go back to China!

Blessings, Az. I think touring China with you and the family would be a blast beyond compare! You see things so differently than most I think.

alans

tomregit: I am not going to get in a debate with you, especially if you have a stubborn opinion made up. Your quick opinion about what I understand or do not understand, proves that you are quick to judge and form opinion of someone on a whim. That is ignorant.

nowave nowave

Im sure they didnt mention Tibet or any history of human rights abuse...

anuragawasthi

Just to take on USA,China is fostering relationship with Pakistan,North Korea,and gave all out support to Sri Lankan Govt for ethinic cleansing of Tamil people.and what happened in Tibet is a well known fact.

Guest

Unwatchable BS 55 seconds into the first 10 minute clip might try to watch later when im sleeping so I can say I at least gave it a viewing. I really want to see the parts about tibet, human rights and fair trade I need some laughs.

Nakor420

Welcome to China, where we decide what you will be when you are BORN. Welcome to China, where if you want freedom, we'll run you over with a tank.
Welcome to China, where we will take all your possesions and give them to someone else.
Welcome to China, where we let 40 MILLION of our own people starve to death on PURPOSE!

Emanuel Galdr

I'm not oblivious to the problems of China as a country, with its tremendous overpopulation, and the steel regime it's under.

But don't forget that this is also a land of wisdom, with an inexhaustible milenary philosophical tradition and an extraorinarily deep culture of self-mastery, that you and I may hardly ever grasp with our Western mindframes.

Let's hope THAT part of China, its heart, its people, is never lost.

Nakor420

Yeah, I agree that china as a heritage and culture is cool and should persist forever, but war sucks, and preperations for war suck, and every country is guilty. except Tibet.

who_me_yeah_you

Esop? he wrote fables didn't he. was he a historian too? NO societies? You have no education on the matter. Stick to Xbox
son.

Dzhershk

I bet everyone in that village hates that old communist spy who writes their orders on his blackboard

Teddy Juan Chin Chan

Xia Dynasty 2500 bc. but if u include the Three Soveriegn and 5 Kings it's more than 2500 bc more likely 5000 bc but archelogist and historian doesn't accpet those history they accept Xia or Shang Dynasty so more so 2500 is the correct date